Help Gabriela Study Abroad In Kyoto, Japan!

Friends, family and potential doners,

A little about me; My name is Gabriela Davila but my friends call me Gabbie! Im the oldest of four siblings which means I take up a lot of responsibilities. One of them being working part time to help pay for this trip. Im 18 years old and in May I'll be the first to graduate from my family. 

This upcoming spring I will be graduating from high school and would love to kick off my post-graduate studies with a study abroad program in Kyoto, Japan in partnership with CIEE. This opportunity would be both an educational experience with daily language courses as well as an eye-opening chance for me to explore Japan with my fellow classmates and Japanese host family. I am asking for your support by making a donation towards my study abroad fund so that this trip can become a reality!

A little more about what I would be doing as a student abroad: 

The Japanese Language and Culture program in Kyoto, Japan is a High School Summer Abroad Program that lasts 4 weeks and includes high school students from the US as well as program leaders who coordinate and tag along with students every day. Program leaders are qualified teachers, alumni and educators who are fluent in Japanese. 

I would attend language classes for 4 weeks totaling 90 hours of Japanese courses. My tuition would include all the food, housing and transportation I would need in Japan. No worries, I will be fed! 

Some examples of what I would get to experience: I will get the chance to take part in a traditional tea ceremony, and learn the art of making sushi, soba noodles or wagashi sweets. After language classes we will learn creative cooking, calligraphy and haiku/tanka poetry. After school we are able to explore and practice our language skills in real life – on the streets, in cafes, and on our expert-guided group excursions to temples, shrines, palaces, museums and more. 

The program is fully immersive; meaning, I will be practicing my Japanese 24/7 since my host Japanese family will be speaking to me in mostly Japanese. I will get to join their family routine and share traditional meals, go shopping in markets, visit local sites or just hang out with them. 

This is a really exciting opportunity and I hope you are able to contribute a few dollars to my GoFundMe so I can further my education and kick off my worldwide exploration!

https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/high-school-study-abroad/summer/japan/kyoto/japanese-language-culture